Paul KeenanIt is reported that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI left the Vatican early in the new year to visit his elderly brother Georg who was hospitalised in Rome over Christmas. In keeping with his promise to remain "hidden from the world" after he stepped aside from the papacy in 2013, Benedict maintained a low profile as he travelled to the Policlinico Gemelli hospital, where his 89-year-old brother was receiving treatment. Aside from a journey to Castel Gandolfo, this is the former Pontiffís only known journey from the monastery within the Vatican which was prepared for him once he announced the end of his pontificate.